BIOSENSORS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS

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Description:

A review, with 19 references, is given on challenges and possible opportunities for the development of biosensors for environmental monitoring applications. The high cost and slow turnaround times typically associated with the measurement of regulated pollutants clearly indicates a need for environmental screening and monitoring methods which are fast, portable, and cost-effective. To meet this need, a variety of field analytical methods were introduced, a number of which are coming available or under development. Because of their unique characteristics, however, technologies such as biosensors might be exploited to fill specific niche applications in the environmental monitoring area. Although the potential environmental market is large, there are a number of technical and com obstacles which must be addressed before biosensors or other field analytical technologies have a significant impact on environmental monitoring. Some of these obstacles include the large number of potential pollutants and broad range of their chemical classes; the broad range and complexity of environmental matrixes; the variety of possible co-contaminants; the wide dynamic range of pollutant concnetrations; lack of well-established data quality expectations by potential users; lack of sufficient markets for specific applicsations; and regulatory acceptance requirements.

Record Details:

Record Type: DOCUMENT (JOURNAL/PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL)

Product Published Date: 01/01/1995

Record Last Revised: 12/22/2005

Record ID: 9516

Organization:

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT